DALLAS (Reuters) - A pickup truck used by former President George W. Bush at his Texas ranch was sold for $300,000 at an auction on Saturday after he donated it to benefit a charity that serves U.S. military families.

Gun shop owner to auction off Bushmaster rifle for charity A local gun shop owner is auctioning off one of his guns to help out one of his employees in need. "Buy a gun, annoy a liberal." That's a T-shirt you can buy at Central Texas Gun Works in Austin. The owner, Michael Cargill is pro-gun but what he is not...is a conservative. "Hey, I'm a Democrat and I support the second amendment. If someone wants to come in here and buy a gun, annoy a liberal, that's fine. They can do that!" Cargill said. That's what makes the following...

The Seaway Crude Oil Pipeline Co. has taken the biggest step so far toward reducing transportation bottlenecks between the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast, setting the stage for significant changes by mid-2014 that will bring relief to Bakken producers. The 50-50 joint venture by affiliates of Enbridge and Enterprise Products Partners has completed a reversal of 500 miles of the Seaway system, increasing the flow between Cushing, Okla., and Houston to 400,000 barrels per day from 150,000 bpd. The partnership is now targeting 850,000 bpd by the first quarter of 2014 when it introduces a new twin line parallel...

<p>MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — The U.S. Border Patrol says two Central American women have reported being raped by human smugglers in two separate incidents in South Texas.</p>
<p>A Border Patrol statement Friday says a Honduran woman apprehended Tuesday in the brush by agents from the Kingsville station said she was raped Jan. 6 by three men at a stash house near Hidalgo. She was taken to a Kingsville hospital for evaluation.</p>

In the days leading up to the 40th commemoration of Roe v. Wade, the pro-life cause is winning the legal war against America’s largest abortion provider. As reported recently in the Texas Tribune, the State of Texas has won round one in the battle to defund abortion providers. In 2011, the Texas legislature passed what is called the “Affiliate Ban Rule,” which prohibits any health provider affiliated with abortion, including Planned Parenthood, from participating in the state’s Women’s Health Program. In April 2012, a Texas judge granted a preliminary injunction to Planned Parenthood TX, exempting them from the new rule;...

President Obama's plan, announced Wednesday, to curtail gun violence in the wake of recent mass shootings is drawing both criticism and praise in the gun-loving state of Texas. The president is calling for Congress to implement background checks for all gun purchases and to ban certain assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Republican Gov. Rick Perry said the president's plan "disgusts" him and that it is an effort by the political left to use the killings to accomplish an anti-gun agenda. He called for prayer and a rejection of evil, as opposed to gun regulation. But Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said...

Join us at the Texas State Capitol in Austin for a family friendly, pro-second amendment rally to affirm your right to bear arms. The event begins at noon on the North Side of the Capitol this Saturday, January 19th. Confirmed Speakers: Sheriff Richard Mack; TX Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson; TX Rep. Steve Toth; Eric Reed - National Coordinator for Guns Across America Events; Adrian Murray - Texas Political Activist; Alan LaFrance - Texas Gun Talk; Ralph Patterson - TX Rep. Co. Chair and Gun Rights Proponent; Toby Marie Walker - Tea Party & Political Activist. Others to be announced as...

The American economy has had little to cheer about since the 2008 financial meltdown and the resulting recession. Recovery has been feeble, and many states continue to struggle. One bright spot in the general gloom, however, is Texas, which began shining long before 2008. Not only has Texas created jobs at a stunning rate; it has also — pace critics such as the New York Times' Paul Krugman — created lots of good jobs. Indeed, the rest of the nation could turn to the Lone Star State as a model for dynamic growth. Texan job creation has far outpaced the...

Full Title: Upcoming Pipeline Capacity Additions Will Facilitate Continued Growth in Crude Oil Shipments from Midwest to Gulf Coast This Week in Petroleum Continuing growth in U.S. crude oil production is causing significant changes in the way crude oil moves within the United States. The Midwest (PADD 2) has been one of the major sources of this production growth, especially from the Bakken formation in North Dakota. Pipeline flows from PADD 2 to PADD 3 will increase over the next two years as several major pipeline projects, starting with the Seaway Pipeline's current capacity expansion, are completed. As PADD 2...

CORPUS CHRISTI — It sits outside the frenzied drilling activity, but Corpus Christi has its eye on the gas fields of the Eagle Ford Shale region. Even as companies chase crude oil deposits in South Texas, Corpus Christi is betting on dry natural gas — currently uneconomic to drill — as a long-term fuel supply for its busses and city fleet, and as an export product for its port. “What’s happening in the Eagle Ford is not staying in the Eagle Ford,” said Richard Borchard, a Port of Corpus Christi commissioner, who spoke at an Eagle Ford Shale Consortium meeting...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding a young immigrant from Asia who officials say is infected with a rare drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. The man was detained by the Border Patrol trying to sneak into South Texas on Nov. 27. Several days later, while undergoing a medical screening at the Port Isabel Service Detention Center, he was diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, the least treatable form of the disease. Officials declined to identify the infected man other than to say he is young and from an Asian country. It's only the third time since 2008 the strain has been...

Gov. Rick Perry released the following statement regarding President Obama's executive actions: "The Vice President's committee was appointed in response to the tragedy at Newtown, but very few of his recommendations have anything to do with what happened there. "Guns require a finger to pull the trigger. The sad young man who did that in Newtown was clearly haunted by demons and no gun law could have saved the children in Sandy Hook Elementary from his terror. "There is evil prowling in the world - it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way...

Remember when San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent home four of his players before a nationally televised game against the Miami Heat and was fined $250,000 for it? Well, so does a lawyer who just filed a suit against the team in Miami-Dade County, citing that the Spurs broke a state law regarding "deceptive and fair trade practices." According to ESPN.com's Darren Rovell, Larry McGuinness filed a class action lawsuit against San Antonio for sending Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili home before their game against the Heat on Nov. 29, 2012. On Monday, Larry McGuinness...

San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corp., is planning to build a new crude topper unit at its Houston refinery to expand its capacity to process light sweet crude oil from the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. The refinery already processes 20,000 to 40,000 barrels a day of crude oil from the Eagle Ford, Valero spokesman Bill Day said, and the expansion would allow it to use more. No construction date has been set, but plans call for the work to be completed by mid-2015.

Politics: President Obama threatened Social Security checks would be delayed if Congress didn't play ball on the debt ceiling. Once again, he turned pensions into a political football. There are ways to stop this. Americans should know: Social Security payments won't be affected by debt-ceiling talks, and Obama knows it. Still, it's not as if the Social Security system is healthy. In a Page 1 story Monday, IBD's Jed Graham reported that 2013 marks the first year new Social Security retirees will outlive the trust fund. Their benefits will be slashed 25% as the system goes bust in 2033. So...

AUSTIN -- The City of Austin's Health and Human Services Committee spent the first hour of its Tuesday meeting discussing ways to expand gun control and safety. "We are taking part in an important discussion that's going on at the national level," said Austin City Council member Mike Martinez. The committee took part in a question/answer session with Austin Police Assistant Chief Sean Mannix. Mannix says since 2010, Austin police seized more than 780 guns through a buy-back program called Guns for Groceries. Mannix says the weapons seized are either destroyed or used by the police department. APD also has...

A representative from The Woodlands is vowing to file legislation that would make it illegal to enforce federal bans on semi-automatic weapons. Under Republican State Representative Steve Toth's "Firearms Protection Act," anyone trying to enforce federal gun bans could face felony charges. Toth's announcement comes on the eve of President Barack Obama's unveiling of his initiative to fight gun violence. Some of the so-called concrete steps will address both gun control and mental health care. So how will Texas respond to the recommendations? .... "What should we be doing to make sure that our children are safe and that we're...

SAN ANTONIO -- A homeowner shot two men, killing one, when he heard someone breaking into his SUV. It happened on Lightstone Drive near Stone Oak and Hardy Oak Boulevard shortly before 2 a.m. Police say the owner of a parked SUV heard someone attempting to break into it. That's when, according to police, he went outside and spotted someone inside his vehicle. As he approached the vehicle the owner thought he spotted a gun. The SUV owner then fired at the suspect, hitting him one time in the upper torso. Police say the getaway driver then sped off. The...

A Texas lawmaker says he plans to file the Firearms Protection Act, which would make any federal laws that may be passed by Congress or imposed by Presidential order which would ban or restrict ownership of semi-automatic firearms or limit the size of gun magazines illegal in the state, 1200 WOAI news reports. Republican Rep. Steve Toth says his measure also calls for felony criminal charges to be filed against any federal official who tries to enforce the rule in the state. "If a federal official comes into the state of Texas to enforce the federal executive order, that person...